Have you ever heard someone described as a ‘Strong Christian’? Are you like me and you wonder what that’s like to be a ‘Strong Christian’? When I look at The Cross and I see what was necessary for my salvation, I hesitate to think of myself as ‘strong’. Up against the reality of our lives, we are needy, we don’t measure up, we fail the test.

But the good news is that we do not have to be strong. As a matter of fact according to Paul, as followers of Jesus, we should aspire to the opposite;

2 Corinthians 12:9-11

“But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.”

This is music to my ears! Because when I look at my life and some of the turmoil and drama that we all go through, I know deep down, that without Jesus I have no hope. I am just another beggar at the foot of His cross. Any other image I may try to put forward is a mask at best and a delusion at worst. But when I come to terms with my weakness, the Holy Spirit can begin to work on my heart, filling it with grace, with love and with the hope of heaven.

It’s backwards thinking by the world’s standards. Strength and being ‘self made’ are valued. But we, the weak, gathered under the banner of Christ can boost of only one thing; “For when I am weak, you are strong”.